ASEAN and EU Support Internationalisation of CLMV Universities
Vientiane, 31 October 2017 –ASEAN and the European Union (EU) Support to Higher Education in ASEAN Region (SHARE) Programme commenced the seventh in a series of SHARE Policy Dialogues with the theme “Capitalising on ASEAN: Internationalisation Strategies for CLMV Universities”. This two-day event was organised in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Sports of Lao PDR and took place in a year of great significance for ASEAN and EU, as 2017 marks three anniversaries: 50 Years of ASEAN, 40 Years of ASEAN-EU Relations, and 30 Years of Erasmus+, the EU’s student mobility scheme. This event brought together some 100 university managers, education policy-makers, and students from Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Vietnam or the CLMV countries, as well as from other parts of ASEAN and the EU.
The policy dialogue focused on the international dimension of universities in the four CLMV countries and the strategies employed by universities to position themselves in the best possible way to benefit from international opportunities and developments, especially in the context of the evolving Higher Education Space in ASEAN.
According to ASEAN Deputy Secretary-General, H.E. Vongthep Arthakaivalvatee, “in the context of the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community, higher education plays a crucial role towards a creative, innovative and responsive ASEAN. ASEAN is committed to further strengthening regional and global cooperation in enhancing the quality and competitiveness of higher education institutions for the benefit of all citizens of ASEAN, including those in CLMV countries.”
“It is a good opportunity for Lao PDR to identify the opportunities, challenges, and pathways of universities toward internationalisation within ASEAN. SHARE is a significant project that supports the necessary development to realise internationalisation strategies for CLMV universities. We should take this opportunity to design strategies in order to benefit from the developing ASEAN Community on our own path of internationalisation of Lao universities”, said Vice Minister of Education and Sports of Lao PDR, H.E. Boualane Sylipanya.
“This is the seventh in a series of SHARE Policy Dialogues. The Policy Dialogue is a very effective format to bring together all stakeholders to discuss relevant higher education issues in support of ASEAN’s ambition in building a regional higher education space. The evolving regional higher education space will be beneficial not only to students and universities, but also to societies and economies as a whole. It is a key element of maintaining ASEAN’s economic growth and competitiveness, and the EU is very proud to support this process through SHARE. Developments in higher education in Europe serve as an important reference, and SHARE is ideally positioned to contribute this expertise.” EU Ambassador to Lao PDR, H.E. Leo Faber
For more infomation, see "The Seventh SHARE Policy Dialogue".
